Already Seen
by cojack
Summary: C/7. Short behind the scenes vignette from the Season 6 episode "Fury". Tuvok experiences déjà vu.


DISCLAIMER: It's Paramount's galaxy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: C/7. Short behind the scenes vignette from the Season 6 episode "Fury". Tuvok experiences déjà vu.

This was requested by Alaster Boneman in his comments to my previous story and I did my best to insert a C/7 moment into the episode. Enjoy!

#

ALREADY SEEN

#

Lieutenant Commander Tuvok was walking down the corridor of Voyager's deck eight on his way to the turbo lift. He was examining the latest security logs from the shift that had just ended. Nothing out of the ordinary was evident. If he was human, he might have felt a sense of satisfaction, but as a Vulcan he simply registered another successful security rotation. So far, the anniversary of the completion of another orbit of his home world about its sun since the day of his birth had been uneventful. Fortunately, his official Star Fleet record listed the date in the pre-Kir'Shara format. That, combined with the three hundred and thirty seven standard day Vulcan year made the precise calculation difficult. No one on the crew knew, and he was determined to keep it that way. He pressed the turbo lift's call button and immediately the doors swished open.

Naomi Wildman was standing in the threshold and smiled up at him. For a brief instance, Tuvok felt he didn't quite recognize the girl, but the sensation quickly passed. "Hi," she said cheerily, and then her expression became puzzled as she obviously picked up on his own confusion. "Are you okay Tuvok?"

Tuvok paused. "I believe I've just experienced glazhau va'ashiv," he finally replied.

"What's that?" Naomi asked, now curious.

How to explain? "A paradoxical state-dependent associative phenomenon," Tuvok said. Upon seeing Naomi's continued confused look, he added, "I believe the standard human expression is, déjà vu."

Now Naomi understood and nodded enthusiastically. "So you were remembering meeting me coming out of the turbo lift from another time," she said. "Oh, I'm sure that's happened a few times before."

"That is possible," he replied, although as he said it, he was also certain the sensation was elicited by something quite different.

Naomi smiled again and then moved down the corridor towards the cargo bay. Tuvok lingered to watch her go and she turned briefly to glance back at him before rounding a corner and out of sight. Again he had a sensation of glazhau va'ashiv. He was also confident he now recalled the original instance that had triggered it. Nineteen hundred and eighty six standard days earlier, when a future Kes had arrived on Voyager and taken the place of their own Kes. Her presence had triggered in him visions from the future which, at the time, he had taken as hallucinations. Indeed, the original hallucination of Naomi Wildman stepping off a turbolift was followed by others, culminating in his seeing the future Kes at the warp core initiating some sort of surge and his going to sickbay. He hadn't dwelled on these thoughts in all the intervening years, although he did recall a few instances. Of course two years before when Seven had joined the crew he recognized her immediately. A year or so before, when he had seen Miss Wildman in a similar outfit, he was reminded of how he knew she was going to look. And when the Doctor had completed removing the implants from the Borg children, he recognized the twins then too… Why did the sense of glazau va'ashiv occur only now? He started walking back down the corridor to follow Naomi. There was one way to find out if this was indeed the actual occurrences that instigated the visions, and that was to go to Cargo Bay Two. It was very close by.

Tuvok stepped into Cargo Bay Two. Right before him, in three of the alcoves, Seven and the twins, Rebi and Azan, were standing and appeared to be regenerating. Again, an overwhelming sensation of glazhau va'ashiv overtook him. It was precisely how he remembered it from his vision nearly five and a half years before. Rebi and Azan dressed similarly, but fortunately not identically to better distinguish them apart, and Seven in her blue biosuit.

"Tuvok?" Naomi asked curiously.

Tuvok turned to see Naomi standing with Commander Chakotay behind him next to the cargo bay entrance. Chakotay had a holoimager set up on a tripod that was aimed towards Seven and the two boys. Tuvok had inadvertently stepped into the line of sight.

"Tell me you got one," Seven then said. She sounded slightly exasperated, although Tuvok couldn't be certain, and apparently she wasn't regenerating after all. The two boys were also not regenerating, but all three remained standing in their alcoves.

Chakotay was apparently examining frames in the holoimager. "I believe so," he finally said. "I got a good one just before Tuvok stepped into the frame."

"I apologize Commander," Tuvok said belatedly realizing he had interrupted some sort of holoimaging shoot.

Chakotay waved his hand dismissively. "No worries," he said. "I think we're just wrapping up. A few more images to go." He then turned towards Seven. "Okay, so what's next?"

Seven glanced tentatively towards Tuvok. If Tuvok didn't know better, he would say she almost looked slightly embarrassed, but again he couldn't say for certain since it was often difficult for him to read emotions. One of the disadvantages of being Vulcan, although often compensated by maintaining discipline and being observant. "I believe, Commander, the boys and I can take it from here," she replied to Chakotay. "By my calculations, you are already ten minutes late for you duty shift."

"Oh, we're almost finished," Chakotay replied. He appeared to be in a particularly good mood, by Tuvok's estimation. Chakotay turned to Rebi and Azan. "What else do you have in mind?" he said, stepping past Tuvok towards Seven and the boys.

Naomi had followed him, but stopped next to Tuvok. She leaned closer to Tuvok. "Another glaswho va…" Naomi began in a whisper.

"Glazhau va'ashiv," Tuvok corrected. She was a very perceptive and curious child. "Indeed."

"What was it this time?" Naomi asked innocently.

Five and a half years before, the Captain had ordered him not to discuss what he knew about the future Kes coming aboard Voyager. How she had boarded the ship and made her way towards engineering to draw energy from the warp core to travel back in time. It was something they had prepared for, and he now wondered if the time was close at hand. Naomi continued to look up at him expectantly. "What are Commander Chakotay and Seven doing?" he asked instead.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "A school project of Rebi and Azan's," she said. "They're not telling me what it's all about, but I think it's some sort of report about their life on Voyager."

Tuvok looked over to where Commander Chakotay and Seven were now helping the twins set something up on the cargo bay floor with the holoimager on the tripod above it.

"Commander Chakotay has been helping Seven with school," Naomi said as way of explanation.

Tuvok nodded. "I see." He had noted a change in the First Officer's routine over the past several weeks and had apparently stumbled on the reason. He started to turn to leave, but then decided he should answer Naomi's original question first. In this case, there was no harm in telling her the truth as it would not reveal anything about Kes. "You asked me what it was this time that triggered my memory. It was seeing Seven and the twins regenerating in their alcoves."

Naomi raised her eyebrows. It belatedly occurred to Tuvok that this was not something he had ever seen before, respecting Seven's privacy as he did, and that perhaps the young girl would get the wrong impression. He debated whether to elaborate to her or not when Commander Chakotay stepped past them.

"Okay, I guess I'd better get up to the bridge," Chakoay said. He glanced back towards Seven. "Same time tomorrow?"

Seven nodded stiffly in return.

The cargo bay doors swished open and Commander Chakotay left.

Tuvok returned his attention to Naomi. "I'd best be on my way too," he said. Just then, Tuvok's communicator chirped.

"_Janeway to Tuvok_."

"Go ahead," Tuvok replied.

"_Report to my ready room immediately_."

"I'm on my way."

Naomi looked concerned. "Did it sound like the Captain was upset?" she asked.

Tuvok oftentimes did not register the emotions of others when they spoke, but now that the girl had pointed it out, Captain Janeway had sounded a bit perturbed in their brief interchange. Discipline and observation. He had to remain vigilant. "I'm sure it is nothing," he said. "Have a good day Miss Wildman."

Again Naomi smiled, as she was apt to do, a stood up a little taller. "You too, Lieutenant Commander," she replied.

Tuvok left the cargo bay and started back to the turbo lift. Should he discuss his recent experiences with Captain Janeway? Might the time Kes comes back to Voyager be imminent? The day was not as uneventful as he had hoped and wondered idly what else might be in store for him on his birthday.

#

THE END


End file.
